JP2024054341A - Sensor components for continuous blood glucose measurement - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a sensor member for continuous blood glucose measurement capable of maintaining more stable performance. [Solution] In the sensor member for continuous blood glucose measurement of the present invention, an electrode layer formed on the other side of a substrate is connected to a sensor contact part on one side of the substrate through a via hole, so that two electrode layers do not have to be formed on the same side of the substrate but can be formed on opposite sides, making it possible to reduce the width of the substrate and to achieve an overall smaller and simpler structure. By forming an electrode connection layer in a via hole only on the inner peripheral surface, rather than filling the via hole, it is possible to prevent filling defects that occur during the process of filling the via hole and the resulting electrical connection failure, thereby forming a more stable structure. [Selected Figure] FIG. 4

Description

The present invention relates to a sensor member for continuous blood glucose measurement. More specifically, the electrode layer formed on the other side of the substrate is connected to a sensor contact portion on one side of the substrate through a via hole, so that the two electrode layers can be formed on opposite sides of the substrate without the need to be formed on the same side of the substrate, thereby making it possible to reduce the width of the substrate and to achieve an overall smaller and simpler structure. The electrode connection layer formed in the via hole is formed only on the inner peripheral surface, not in a form that fills the via hole, so that filling defects that occur during the process of filling the via hole and the resulting electrical connection failure can be prevented, thereby forming a more stable structure. The present invention relates to a sensor member for continuous blood glucose measurement that can maintain more stable performance by forming a plurality of via holes, so that even if the electrode connection layer formed in any one of the via holes is damaged or defective, the electrical connection is maintained by the electrode connection layer formed in the remaining via hole.

Diabetes is a chronic disease that is common among modern people, affecting more than 2 million people in Korea, or 5% of the total population.

Diabetes occurs when there is an absolute or relative deficiency of insulin produced by the pancreas due to various causes such as obesity, stress, poor eating habits, and autoimmunity, which means that the blood sugar balance cannot be quickly restored, resulting in an absolute excess of sugar in the blood.

Blood normally contains a certain amount of glucose, which is where tissue cells get their energy.

However, if glucose levels increase more than necessary, it cannot be stored properly in the liver, muscles, or fat cells and instead accumulates in the blood. This causes diabetics to maintain a much higher blood sugar level than normal people, and the excess blood sugar passes through the tissues and is excreted in the urine, causing a shortage of sugar that is absolutely necessary for each tissue in the body, leading to abnormalities in each tissue.

Diabetes is characterized by the fact that in the early stages there are almost no noticeable symptoms, but as the disease progresses, specific symptoms appear, such as excessive drinking, eating, and urination, weight loss, general fatigue, itchy skin, and persistent wounds on the hands and feet that do not heal. As the disease progresses further, complications such as vision problems, high blood pressure, kidney disease, paralysis, periodontal disease, muscle spasms and neuralgia, and gangrene appear.

To diagnose this type of diabetes and manage it so that it does not progress to complications, systematic blood glucose monitoring and treatment must be carried out simultaneously.

For people with diabetes and those who have not developed diabetes but have higher than normal levels of sugar in their blood, many medical device manufacturers offer a wide variety of blood glucose measuring devices that allow people to measure their blood sugar at home.

There are two types of blood glucose measuring devices: one in which the user draws blood from the tip of a finger and measures blood glucose one time, and one in which the device is attached to the user's abdomen, arm, etc. and measures blood glucose continuously.

Diabetic patients generally fluctuate between hyperglycemic and hypoglycemic states, but in emergency situations, they may experience hypoglycemic states and lose consciousness, or may even lose their life if the hypoglycemic state continues for a long time without a supply of sugar. Therefore, immediate detection of hypoglycemic states is very important for diabetic patients, but blood glucose measuring devices that measure blood glucose levels intermittently have limitations in accurately detecting this.

Recently, to overcome these limitations, a continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) has been developed that is inserted into the human body to measure blood glucose levels every few minutes, making it easier to manage diabetic patients and respond to emergency situations.

In addition, blood sampling type blood glucose measuring devices measure blood glucose levels by pricking the fingertips, which are sensitive to pain, with a needle to draw blood from diabetics, which can cause pain and discomfort during the blood sampling process. To minimize this pain and discomfort, research and development is being conducted on continuous blood glucose measuring systems that measure blood glucose continuously after inserting needle-shaped sensors into areas such as the abdomen and arms, where pain is relatively less. Furthermore, research and development is also being actively conducted on non-invasive glucose monitoring systems that measure blood glucose without drawing blood.

For the past 40 years, research has been conducted into various methods of non-immersion blood glucose measurement systems, including optical methods, electrical methods, and breath measurement, to measure blood glucose without drawing blood. Cygnus (Redwood City, Ca, USA) developed and marketed the wristwatch-type Glucowatch G2 Biographer using reverse iontophoresis, but sales were suspended in 2007 due to problems such as skin irritation, problems with testing, the device stopping when sweating, and the inability to recognize hypoglycemia compared to hyperglycemia. To date, many blood-free blood glucose measurement technologies have been introduced and reported, but they are not practical due to their lack of accuracy.

The continuous blood glucose measuring device is composed of a sensor module that is attached to the skin of the body to measure the glucose in the body fluids, a transmitter that sends the blood glucose value measured by the sensor module to a terminal, and a terminal that outputs the transmitted blood glucose value. The sensor module is equipped with a sensor probe formed in a needle pattern to be inserted into subcutaneous fat to extract interstitial fluid, and a separate applicator is used to attach the sensor module to the body.

Such continuous blood glucose measuring devices are manufactured in a wide variety of forms by different manufacturers, and there are also various ways of using them. However, most continuous blood glucose measuring devices are manufactured and distributed in a way that a single-use sensor module is attached to the body through an applicator, and an adhesive tape is attached to the bottom of the external housing of the sensor module so that the sensor module can be attached to the body. With this structure, when the sensor module is inserted and attached to the skin of the body through the applicator, the sensor module remains attached to the skin of the body by the adhesive tape, and blood glucose is measured continuously in this state.

The part of the sensor module's sensor member that is inserted into the skin has multiple electrode layers formed on it so that it can measure information about various substances in bodily fluids when inserted into the skin, and the multiple electrode layers extend to the part that is not inserted into the skin and are connected to a separate electronic device through electrical contacts.

The portion of the sensor member that is inserted into the skin must remain inserted into the skin for a considerable period of time, and so is formed in a very thin, narrow, and minute shape so as not to cause pain to the user. Because the sensor member is formed in such a minute shape, it is difficult to form complex structures such as multiple electrode layers and connecting contacts with external electrical contacts in the sensor member, and there is a problem that structures such as multiple electrode layers create limitations in minimizing the size of the sensor member. In addition, there is a problem that the product defect rate increases in the process of forming structures such as electrode layers and connecting contacts through a fine process.

The present invention was invented to solve the problems of the prior art, and the object of the present invention is to provide a sensor member for continuous blood glucose measurement that can connect an electrode layer formed on the other side of a substrate to a sensor contact portion on one side of the substrate through a via hole, thereby simplifying the structure by connecting the electrode layer to the sensor contact portion on one side of the substrate without expanding the substrate structure or adding a separate connecting structure, and thus can form two electrode layers on opposite sides of the substrate without the need to form them on the same side of the substrate, thereby further reducing the width of the substrate and allowing for an overall smaller and simpler structure.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sensor member for continuous blood glucose measurement that can form a more stable structure by forming an electrode connection layer in the via hole only on the inner peripheral surface, rather than filling the via hole, thereby preventing filling defects that occur during the process of filling the via hole and resulting electrical connection failures.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sensor member for continuous blood glucose measurement in which the electrode connection layer of the via hole is extended to one side and the other side of the substrate, so that the electrode layer and the sensor contact part are in contact with each other in an overlapping manner, thereby improving contact safety.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a sensor member for continuous blood glucose measurement that can maintain more stable performance by forming a plurality of via holes and forming an electrode connection layer in each of the via holes, so that even if the electrode connection layer formed in any one of the via holes is damaged or defective, electrical connection is maintained by the electrode connection layer formed in the remaining via holes.

The present invention provides a sensor member for continuous blood glucose measurement, one end of which is inserted into the body for continuous blood glucose measurement, comprising a substrate having a via hole formed on one side thereof, and a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer formed on one side and the other side of the substrate, respectively, a first sensor contact portion and a second sensor contact portion are formed on one side of the substrate so that the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are each connected to separate external electrical contacts, an electrode connection layer made of a conductive material is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the via hole, and the second electrode layer is electrically connected to the second sensor contact portion through the electrode connection layer.

In this case, the electrode connection layer is formed to extend from the inner surface of the via hole to an area adjacent to the via hole on one side and the other side of the substrate, the second electrode layer is formed to cover an end portion of the electrode connection layer on the other side of the substrate, and the second sensor contact portion is formed to cover an end portion of the electrode connection layer on one side of the substrate.

In addition, the electrode connection layer can be formed by depositing conductive particles through a sputtering process.

In addition, with the electrode connection layer formed by deposition, the first electrode layer, the first sensor contact portion, and the second sensor contact portion can be printed on one side of the substrate, and the second electrode layer can be printed on the other side of the substrate.

The sensor member is formed with a sensor body portion formed to be able to contact the electrical contact, and a sensor probe portion formed to be bent from one side of the sensor body portion and extended long in one direction to be inserted into the body, the substrate is formed to form the sensor body portion and the sensor probe portion, the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are formed to extend from the sensor body portion region to the sensor probe portion region, and the first sensor contact portion and the second sensor contact portion, the via hole, and the electrode connection layer can be formed in the sensor body portion region.

In addition, the sensor body part is formed with a pressure deformation part that is deformed by a pressure operation of a user and contacts the electrical contact, the first sensor contact part is formed on one side of the pressure deformation part area, the first electrode layer is extended from the sensor body part to the pressure deformation part in a trace form and connected to the first sensor contact part, the via hole and the second sensor contact part are formed on the other side of the pressure deformation part area, and the second electrode layer is extended from the sensor body part to the pressure deformation part in a trace form and connected to the electrode connection layer of the via hole and connected to the second sensor contact part through the electrode connection layer.

In addition, the pressure deformation portion may be formed in an incised form along an incision line formed in the central region of the sensor body portion.

According to the present invention, the electrode layer formed on the other side of the substrate is connected to the sensor contact portion on one side of the substrate through a via hole, so that the electrode layer can be connected to the sensor contact portion on one side of the substrate without extending the substrate structure or adding a separate connecting structure, thereby simplifying the structure. As a result, the two electrode layers can be formed on opposite sides of the substrate without having to be formed on the same side of the substrate, which allows the width of the substrate to be further reduced, and an overall smaller and simpler structure is possible.

In addition, by forming the electrode connection layer in the via hole only on the inner peripheral surface, rather than filling the via hole, it is possible to prevent filling defects that occur during the process of filling the via hole and the resulting poor electrical connection, resulting in a more stable structure.

In addition, by extending the electrode connection layer of the via hole to one side and the other side of the substrate, the electrode layer and the sensor contact part are in contact with each other in an overlapping manner, which has the effect of improving contact safety.

In addition, by forming multiple via holes and forming an electrode connection layer in each via hole, even if the electrode connection layer formed in one of the via holes is damaged or defective, the electrical connection is maintained by the electrode connection layers formed in the remaining via holes, resulting in more stable performance.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a basic system of a continuous blood glucose measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the shape of an applicator of a continuous blood glucose measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a body-attachable unit of a continuous blood glucose measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an electrode layer formation structure of a sensor member according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a shape of an electrode layer formed on a sensor member according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a shape of an electrode layer formed on a sensor member according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a schematic external appearance of a body attachment unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a body attachment unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a schematic shape of a sensor member according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 7, conceptually illustrating an operating state of a body attachment unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, in adding reference numerals to the components in each drawing, it should be noted that identical components are given the same numerals as much as possible even if they are displayed in different drawings. Furthermore, in describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known configurations or functions may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing a basic system of a continuous blood glucose measuring device according to one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a diagram showing an applicator shape of a continuous blood glucose measuring device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a body-attached unit of a continuous blood glucose measuring device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The continuous blood glucose measuring device according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to attach a body-attached unit 20 having a sensor member 520 to be inserted into the body for continuous blood glucose measurement to the body through an applicator 10, and to insert and attach the body-attached unit 20 to the body by operating the applicator 10 to continuously measure blood glucose from the body, and to transmit and output blood glucose measurement information periodically measured through the body-attached unit 20 to a separate terminal 30.

The body attachment unit 20 is assembled inside the applicator 10 to produce a single unit product, and the user's additional work when using the continuous blood glucose measuring device is minimized, resulting in a very simple structure and usage method.

The body-attachable unit 20 is formed so that it can be attached to the body to extract body fluids and periodically measure blood glucose, and is also formed so that the blood glucose measurement results can be sent to an external device such as an external terminal 30. Such a body-attachable unit 20 has a sensor member 520, one end of which is inserted into the body, and a wireless communication chip disposed therein so as to be able to wirelessly communicate with the external terminal 30, and can be manufactured in a form that can be used without the need for additionally connecting a separate transmitter.

The applicator 10 is formed so that the body attachment unit 20 is fixedly connected inside, and operates to eject the body attachment unit 20 to the outside when the user applies pressure to the pressure button 110.

At this time, the body attachment unit 20 is assembled and manufactured while inserted inside the applicator 10, and is configured to move in the external discharge direction and attach to the body when the applicator 10 is operated by the user.

That is, the sensor applicator assembly according to one embodiment of the present invention is assembled and manufactured in such a way that the body-attached unit 20 is attached to the skin simply by operating the applicator 10 while the body-attached unit 20 is inserted inside the applicator 10 during the manufacturing process, and is supplied to the user in this state, so that the user can attach the body-attached unit 20 to the skin simply by operating the applicator 10 without any additional work to attach the body-attached unit 20 to the skin. In particular, the body-attached unit 20 is equipped with a separate wireless communication chip, making it more convenient to use without the need to connect a separate transmitter.

Conventional continuous blood glucose measuring devices require the user to remove the separately packaged body-attached unit from its packaging and then precisely insert it into an applicator, which is then operated to attach the body-attached unit to the skin. However, not only is the task of precisely inserting the body-attached unit into the applicator cumbersome and difficult, but for children and the elderly, this task can also lead to contamination of the body-attached unit, reducing the accuracy of blood glucose measurement.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the body-attached unit 20 is manufactured and distributed in a state where it is inserted into the applicator 10 during the manufacturing stage, eliminating the process of the user having to uncover the body-attached unit 20 and insert it into the applicator 10, and the body-attached unit 20 can be attached to the skin simply by operating the applicator 10, dramatically improving usability and, in particular, preventing contamination of the body-attached unit 20 and improving the accuracy of blood glucose measurement.

A separate protective cap 200 can be detachably attached to the applicator 10 so that the body attachment unit 20 is prevented from being exposed to the outside when inserted inside the applicator 10, and the user can be configured to operate the applicator 10 only after removing the protective cap 200, and to eject the body attachment unit 20 externally from the side where the protective cap 200 was removed, and attach it to the body.

At this time, an adhesive tape 560 is attached to the body contact surface of the body attachment unit 20 so that the body attachment unit 20 can be attached to the body, and a release paper (not shown) is attached to the body contact surface of the adhesive tape 560 to protect the adhesive tape 560, but the release paper of the adhesive tape 560 can be formed so as to be separated and removed from the adhesive tape 560 in the process of separating the protective cap 200 from the applicator 10.

For example, the release paper of the adhesive tape 560 can be configured so that one side is adhered to the protective cap 200, and therefore, when the user separates the protective cap 200 from the applicator 10, it can be separated and removed from the adhesive tape 560 together with the protective cap 200. Thus, when the user separates the protective cap 200, the release paper of the adhesive tape 560 is separated and removed, and in this state, the applicator 10 can be operated to attach the body attachment unit 20 to the body.

In addition, the applicator 10 can be configured to connect and fix the body-attaching unit 20 when the body-attaching unit 20 is inserted inside, and to release the connection and fixation state with respect to the body-attaching unit 20 when the body-attaching unit 20 is moved to be discharged externally. Therefore, when the body-attaching unit 20 is inserted and assembled inside the applicator 10, the body-attaching unit 20 is maintained in a fixed state, and when the applicator 10 is operated to discharge the body-attaching unit 20 externally and attach it to the skin, the connection and fixation state between the applicator 10 and the body-attaching unit 20 is released, so that if the applicator 10 is separated in this state, it is separated from the body-attaching unit 20, and only the body-attaching unit 20 remains attached to the skin.

Meanwhile, the body-attached unit 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention can be configured so that the sensor member 520 and the wireless communication chip can be started to operate through a separate switch means operated by the user. That is, after inserting and attaching the body-attached unit 20 to the body through the applicator 10, the user can start the operation of the body-attached unit 20 through a switch means provided on the body-attached unit 20, and from the point of such start of operation, the sensor member 520 and the wireless communication chip can be operated to measure the blood glucose of the body and send the measurement result to the external terminal 30. At this time, the switch means operated by the user can be configured in various ways.

The body-attachable unit 20 is formed such that a sensor member 520 is disposed inside the housing 510, and one end of the sensor member 520 protrudes from the bottom of the housing 510 and is inserted and attached to the body. The sensor member 520 is composed of a sensor probe portion that is inserted into the body and a sensor body portion that is disposed inside the housing 510, and the sensor probe portion and the sensor body portion are bent to form one end and the other end of the sensor member 520, respectively.

At this time, a separate insertion guide needle 550 may be detachably coupled to the housing 510 so that the process of inserting the sensor member 520 into the body can be performed smoothly. The insertion guide needle 550 is configured to surround one end of the sensor member 520 and be inserted into the body together with the sensor member 520 so that one end of the sensor member 520 can be stably inserted into the body.

As shown in FIG. 3, the insertion guide needle 550 is detachably attached in a direction penetrating vertically through the housing 510 of the body attachment unit 20, and is formed in a form surrounding the outside of the sensor member 520, with a needle head 551 formed at the upper end. When the body attachment unit 20 moves in the direction of external discharge by the applicator 10, the insertion guide needle 550 is inserted into the body before the sensor member 520, and helps the sensor member 520 to be stably inserted into the skin. The insertion guide needle 550 is coupled to the needle puller body (not shown) of the applicator 10 through the needle head 551, and is formed so that after the body attachment unit 20 is inserted and attached to the body by the operation of the applicator 10, it is pulled out and removed from the body by the needle puller body of the applicator 10.

After the insertion guide needle 550 is removed from the body, the body-attached unit 20 remains inserted and attached to the body, and the sensor member 520 of the body-attached unit 20 measures blood glucose information from bodily fluids with one end inserted into the skin. To measure blood glucose information, the sensor member 520 is formed with a plurality of electrode layers, and each electrode layer is formed to be connected to an electrical contact of a separate external electronic device.

The sensor member according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail below. Figure 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the electrode layer formation structure of the sensor member according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The sensor member 520 according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a flat sensor body part 522, a sensor probe part 521 that is bent from one side of the sensor body part 522 and extends long in one direction to be inserted into the body, and includes a substrate 5201 that is formed to form the sensor body part 522 and the sensor probe part 521, and a first electrode layer 5202 and a second electrode layer 5204 that are formed on one side and the other side of the substrate 5201, respectively.

The first electrode layer 5202 and the second electrode layer 5204 are configured to function as a working electrode and a counter electrode, respectively, to measure blood glucose information from bodily fluids, and the method and principle of measuring blood glucose information through such a working electrode and a counter electrode is a well-known technology, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

A first sensor contact portion 5202a and a second sensor contact portion 5204a are formed on one side of the substrate 5201 so that the first electrode layer 5202 and the second electrode layer 5204 are connected to separate external electrical contacts. In addition, a via hole 5201a is formed on one side of the substrate 5201, and an electrode connection layer 5201b made of a conductive material is formed on the inner surface of the via hole 5201a, and the second electrode layer 5204 formed on the other side of the substrate 5201 is electrically connected to the second sensor contact portion 5204a through the electrode connection layer 5201b of the via hole 5201a.

That is, a first electrode layer 5202 is formed on one side of the substrate 5201, a second electrode layer 5204 is formed on the other side of the substrate 5201, and a first sensor contact portion 5202a and a second sensor contact portion 5204a are formed on one side of the substrate 5201, the first sensor contact portion 5202a being directly connected to the first electrode layer 5202 formed on one side of the substrate 5201, and the second sensor contact portion 5204a being connected to the second electrode layer 5204 formed on the other side of the substrate 5201 through an electrode connection layer 5201b. At this time, the electrode connection layer 5201b is formed on the inner circumferential surface of a via hole 5201a penetrating the substrate 5201.

With this structure, the second electrode layer 5204 formed on the other side of the substrate 5201 is connected to the second sensor contact portion 5204a formed on one side of the substrate 5201 through the electrode connection layer 5201b using the via hole 5201a, so that the second electrode layer 5204 can be connected to the second sensor contact portion 5204a without extending the structure of the substrate 5201 or without additionally extending a separate connection structure. As a result, the first electrode layer 5202 and the second electrode layer 5204 do not have to be formed on the same side of the substrate 5201, that is, the first electrode layer 5202 and the second electrode layer 5204 can be formed on opposite sides of the substrate 5201, so that the overall width of the substrate 5201 can be minimized.

In addition, the electrode connection layer 5201b is not formed in a form that fills the via hole 5201a that penetrates the substrate 5201, but is formed by thin deposition on the inner surface of the via hole 5201a as shown in FIG. 4, so that the via hole 5201a is not filled but remains as it is.

In this way, since the electrode connection layer 5201b is formed only on the inner peripheral surface rather than filling the via hole 5201a, it is possible to prevent filling defects that occur during the process of filling the via hole 5201a and the resulting electrical connection failure, thereby forming a more stable structure.

In addition, the electrode connection layer 5201b is formed to extend from the inner surface of the via hole 5201a to the area adjacent to the via hole 5201a on one side and the other side of the substrate 5201, the second electrode layer 5204 is formed in a form covering the end portion of the electrode connection layer 5201b on the other side of the substrate 5201 and is connected to the electrode connection layer 5201b, and the second sensor contact portion 5204a is formed in a form covering the end portion of the electrode connection layer 5201b on one side of the substrate 5201 and is connected to the electrode connection layer 5201b.

In this way, the electrode connection layer 5201b is extended to one side and the other side of the substrate 5201, so that the second electrode layer 5204 and the second sensor contact portion 5204a overlap and contact the electrode connection layer 5201b, thereby further improving contact safety.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of via holes 5201a can be formed in the substrate 5201, and the electrode connection layer 5201b is formed in each of the plurality of via holes 5201a in the same manner and connected to the second electrode layer 5204 and the second sensor contact portion 5204a. Even if the electrode connection layer 5201b formed in any one of the via holes 5201a is damaged or defective, the electrical connection is maintained by the electrode connection layer 5201b formed in the remaining via holes 5201a, so that more stable performance can be maintained.

Such an electrode connection layer 5201b can be formed by depositing conductive particles, for example metal particles such as Au or Ag, on the inner surface of the via hole 5201a and the adjacent area through a sputtering process.

With the electrode connection layer 5201b formed by deposition in this manner, the first electrode layer 5202, the first sensor contact portion 5202a, and the second sensor contact portion 5204a can be formed on one side of the substrate 5201 through a printing process of a conductive paste containing conductive particles, and the second electrode layer 5204 can be formed on the other side of the substrate 5201 through the same printing process of a conductive paste.

Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating the shape of an electrode layer formed on a sensor member according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 5 and 6 show examples of actual application forms of the electrode layer-related structure of the sensor member 520 conceptually described in Figure 4.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the sensor member 520 is formed with a sensor body part 522 that is formed so as to be able to contact a separate external electrical contact, and a sensor probe part 521 that is formed so as to be bent from one side of the sensor body part 522 and extend long in one direction and is inserted into the body. The sensor probe part 521 shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is shown to be located on the same plane as the sensor body part 522, but this is for the convenience of explaining the electrode layer described below, and after the electrode layer formation is completed, it is bent to form a right angle with the sensor body part 522 (see Fig. 9).

The substrate 5201 is formed to form the basic structure of the sensor member 520, and is configured to form the sensor body part 522 and the sensor probe part 521. The first electrode layer 5202 and the second electrode layer 5204 are formed extending from the sensor body part 522 area to the sensor probe part 521 area, and the first sensor contact part 5202a and the second sensor contact part 5204a, the via hole 5201a and the electrode connection layer 5201b are formed in the sensor body part 522 area.

The sensor member 520 may be configured in such a way that it is connected to an electrical contact by a switch means as described above, and for this purpose, the sensor body part 522 may be formed in a flat plate shape, and a pressure deformation part 523 may be formed in the center thereof, which deforms when a user applies pressure to contact an external electrical contact. The pressure deformation part 523 may be formed in an incised shape along a cut line (CL) formed in the central region of the sensor body part 522, and the cut line (CL) may be formed in a spiral shape.

On one side of the substrate 5201, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 (a), a first electrode layer 5202 is formed extending to the sensor body portion 522 and the sensor probe portion 521, and on the other side of the substrate 5201, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 (b), a second electrode layer 5204 is formed extending to the sensor body portion 522 and the sensor probe portion 521.

The first sensor contact portion 5202a is formed on one side of the substrate 5201, but is formed on one side of the pressure deformation portion 523 area, and the first electrode layer 5202 is extended from the outer peripheral area of the sensor body portion 522 to the pressure deformation portion 523 in a trace form and connected to the first sensor contact portion 5202a. The trace extending from the first electrode layer 5202 to the first sensor contact portion 5202a is formed in a form that does not intersect with the cut line (CL) of the pressure deformation portion 523.

The via hole 5201a is formed on the other side of the pressure deformation portion 523 area, and the second sensor contact portion 5204a is formed on one side of the substrate 5201 but on the other side of the pressure deformation portion 523 area. The electrode connection layer 5201b formed in the via hole 5201a is extended to one side and the other side of the substrate 5201 and is contact-connected to the second sensor contact portion 5204a on one side of the substrate 5201 in an overlapping manner. The second electrode layer 5204 is extended in a trace form from the outer region of the sensor body portion 522 to the pressure deformation portion 523 and is contact-connected to the electrode connection layer 5201b of the via hole 5201a on the other side of the substrate 5201 in such a manner that it overlaps. The second electrode layer 5204 formed on the other side of the substrate 5201 in this manner is connected to the second sensor contact portion 5204a formed on one side of the substrate 5201 through the electrode connection layer 5201b. The trace extending from the second electrode layer 5204 to the electrode connection layer 5201b is formed in such a way that it does not intersect with the cut line (CL) of the pressure deformation portion 523.

Meanwhile, the cross-sectional shape of the via hole 5201a can be formed in various shapes such as a circle, a star pattern, a rectangle, etc., and its internal diameter can also be formed in various sizes according to the needs of the user.

The structure of the sensor member according to one embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Below, we will describe the configuration of the body-attachable unit 20 to which such a sensor member is applied.

Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the outline of a body attachment unit according to one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the outline of a body attachment unit according to one embodiment of the present invention, Figure 9 is a perspective view showing the outline of a sensor member according to one embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 10 is a diagram for conceptually explaining the operating state of a body attachment unit according to one embodiment of the present invention based on a cross section taken along line "A-A" in Figure 7.

The body attachment unit 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention is discharged externally by operating an applicator and inserted and attached to the body. It is composed of a housing 510 to which an adhesive tape is attached so that the bottom surface can be attached to the skin, a sensor member 520 arranged inside the housing 510 so that one end protrudes externally from the bottom surface of the housing 510, and one end is inserted into the body when the housing 510 is attached to the skin, and a PCB board 530 arranged inside the housing 510.

The sensor member 520 has one end formed to be inserted into the body and the other end formed to be in contact with the PCB board 530. The other end is formed with a sensor body part 522 so that it can contact the electrical contact of the PCB board 530, and one end is formed with a sensor probe part 521 that is bent from one side of the sensor body part 522 and extends to protrude from the housing 510 and is inserted into the body. The sensor body part 522 is formed to have a relatively wide area, and the sensor probe part 521 is formed to be relatively narrow and long.

The housing 510 may be formed separately into an upper housing 512 and a lower housing 511 to form an internal storage space, and a sensor support part 5121 is formed inside the housing 510 to support the sensor body part 522 at a fixed distance from the electrical contact 531 of the PCB board 530, and a sensor guide part (not shown) is formed to support and guide a portion of the sensor probe part 521. Also, a board support part may be formed inside the housing 510 to fix and support the PCB board 530 at a fixed position.

The PCB board 530 is formed with electrical contacts 531 to be electrically connected to the sensor member 520, and is equipped with a wireless communication chip 540 so that the blood glucose measurement results measured through the sensor member 520 can be sent to an external terminal. In one embodiment of the present invention, the wireless communication chip 540 is provided inside the body-attachable unit 20 in this manner, allowing easy communication with an external terminal without the need for a separate transmitter connection.

In addition, a battery 535 is mounted inside the housing 510 to supply power to the PCB board 530. At this time, the battery 535 is not disposed in a form mounted on one side of the PCB board 530, but is disposed in an area independent of the PCB board 530. That is, the PCB board 530 and the battery 535 are disposed independently without overlapping areas when viewed from the bottom surface of the housing 510. As such, since the PCB board 530 and the battery 535 are disposed in areas independent of each other, the thickness of the body-attachable unit 20 can be reduced and the size can be further reduced. At this time, a separate contact terminal can be formed on the PCB board 530 extending toward the battery 535 so as to be electrically connected to the battery 535.

The body-attached unit 20 according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured such that the other end of the sensor member 520, i.e., the sensor body part 522, is contacted with the electrical contact 531 of the PCB board 530 by the user's operation, and the body-attached unit 20 is configured to start operating through such electrical contact. In other words, the sensor member 520 and the PCB board 530 are electrically connected by the user's operation to supply power, and the sensor member 520 and the wireless communication chip 540, etc., can be configured to start operating.

The housing 510 may be provided with a separate pressure actuation module 570 that is operated by the user to bring the other end of the sensor member 520 into contact with the electrical contact 531 of the PCB board 530 by the user's operation.

The pressure actuation module 570 may include a movable pressure body 571 that is movably connected to the housing 510 and moves in a pressure direction according to the pressure applied by the user, and may be configured such that at least a portion of the other end of the sensor member 520 is deformed by the movable pressure body 571 as the movable pressure body 571 moves, and contacts the electrical contact 531 of the PCB board 530.

The movable pressure body 571 is formed with a protruding guide portion 5711 that protrudes in the direction of movement of the movable pressure body 571, and the housing 510 may be formed with a housing guide portion 5114 that guides the protruding guide portion 5711 to guide the pressure movement direction of the movable pressure body 571.

In addition, the pressure actuation module 570 may further include a button cover 572 made of a soft material that is connected to the housing 510 so as to be exposed to the outside in a form that surrounds the external space of the movable pressure body 571 to enable the user to perform pressure operation, and the connection portion of the button cover 572 and the housing 510 may be configured to be sealed.

At this time, the sealing method of the connection portion between the button cover 572 and the housing 510 may be configured using a method using double-sided tape. For example, double-sided tape may be attached along the edge of the other end of the sensor member 520, i.e., one side of the sensor body part 522, and the inner surface of the button cover 572 may be attached to the other side of the double-sided tape along the edge, so that the edge of the button cover 572 may be sealed using such double-sided tape. In this case, double-sided tape may also be attached along the edge of the other side of the sensor body part 522, and thus the sensor body part 522 may be fixed to the sensor support part 5121 by using the double-sided tape around the edge.

With the edges of the sensor body part 522 glued and fixed to the sensor support part 5121 in this manner, the central region of the sensor body part 522 can be deformed by pressure from the movable pressure body 571 and come into contact with the electrical contacts 531 of the PCB board 530 as shown in FIG. 10. The movable pressure body 571 moves in the pressure direction, but since the button cover 572 is made of a soft material and the edges are glued to the housing 510 with double-sided tape, only the central region is deformed in the pressure direction and the edges are glued and fixed to maintain a sealed state.

In addition, after the sensor body part 522 comes into contact with the electrical contact 531 of the PCB board 530 by the user's operation, it is desirable to maintain a stable contact state for stable blood glucose measurement, and for this reason, the movable pressure body 571 can be formed to be fixed in position after moving in the pressure direction due to the pressure force of the user.

Meanwhile, the sensor member 520 is composed of the sensor body part 522 and the sensor probe part 521 as described above, and the sensor body part 522 has a pressure deformation part 523 that is deformed by the pressure movement of the moving pressure body 571 and contacts the electrical contact 531 of the PCB board 530.

The pressure deformation part 523 is formed in an incised shape along a spiral incision line (CL) formed in the central region of the sensor body part 522 as shown in FIG. 9, and can be formed to be pressure deformed by the movable pressure body 571.

When the movable pressure body 571 is pressed with this structure, the pressure deformation portion 523 formed along the cut line (CL) is elastically deformed downward and comes into contact with the electrical contact 531 of the PCB board 530 as shown in (a) and (b) of Figure 10.

At this time, the first sensor contact portion 5202a and the second sensor contact portion 5204a described in FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 are formed on the pressure deformation portion 523, and when the pressure deformation portion 523 is deformed downward, the first sensor contact portion 5202a and the second sensor contact portion 5204a come into contact with the electrical contact 531 of the PCB board 530. As a result, the first electrode layer 5202 and the second electrode layer 5204 formed on the sensor member 520 are electrically connected to the electrical contact 531 of the PCB board 530.

The above description is merely an illustrative example of the technical concept of the present invention, and various modifications and variations may be made by a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains, without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate, not limit, the technical concept of the present invention, and such embodiments do not limit the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted according to the claims below, and all technical concepts within the equivalent range should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims (7)

A sensor member for continuous blood glucose measurement, one end of which is inserted into a body for continuous blood glucose measurement,
a substrate having a via hole formed on one side thereof; and a first electrode layer and a second electrode layer formed on one side and the other side of the substrate, respectively, wherein a first sensor contact portion and a second sensor contact portion are formed on one side of the substrate such that the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are connected to separate external electrical contacts,
an electrode connecting layer made of a conductive material is formed on an inner surface of the via hole, and the second electrode layer is electrically connected to the second sensor contact portion through the electrode connecting layer. the electrode connection layer is formed to extend from an inner periphery of the via hole to an area adjacent to the via hole on one side and the other side of the substrate,
2. The sensor member for continuous blood glucose measurement according to claim 1, wherein the second electrode layer is formed on the other side of the substrate to cover an end portion of the electrode connecting layer, and the second sensor contact portion is formed on one side of the substrate to cover an end portion of the electrode connecting layer. The sensor member for continuous blood glucose measurement according to claim 2, characterized in that the electrode connection layer is formed by depositing conductive particles through a sputtering process. The sensor member for continuous blood glucose measurement according to claim 3, characterized in that, with the electrode connection layer formed by deposition, the first electrode layer, the first sensor contact portion and the second sensor contact portion are printed on one side of the substrate, and the second electrode layer is printed on the other side of the substrate. The sensor member includes:
The sensor body is formed to contact the electrical contact, and the sensor probe is bent from one side of the sensor body and extends in one direction to be inserted into the body.
5. The sensor member for continuous blood glucose measurement according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is formed to form the sensor body portion and the sensor probe portion, the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer are formed extending from the sensor body portion region to the sensor probe portion region, and the first sensor contact portion and the second sensor contact portion, the via hole and the electrode connection layer are formed in the sensor body portion region. The sensor body is provided with a pressure-deformable portion that is deformed by a pressure applied by a user and contacts the electrical contacts.
the first sensor contact portion is formed on one side of the pressure deformation portion, and the first electrode layer is extended from the sensor body portion to the pressure deformation portion in a trace form and connected to the first sensor contact portion;
6. The sensor member for continuous blood glucose measurement according to claim 5, wherein the via hole and the second sensor contact portion are formed on the other side of the pressure deformation portion area, and the second electrode layer is extended from the sensor body portion to the pressure deformation portion in a trace form, connected to the electrode connection layer of the via hole, and connected to the second sensor contact portion through the electrode connection layer. The sensor member for continuous blood glucose measurement according to claim 6, characterized in that the pressure-deformable portion is formed in a cut shape along a cut line formed in the central region of the sensor body portion.

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